May 9, 2018

Judge John A. West

S. Gregory Baker, Dir. Police Community Relations, UCPD; Judge West

Dr. Robin S. Engel, Vice President for Safety and Reform

• Commencement
  
• Next Lives Here
• Uninvited Speakers Update
• Budget Process Update

Maris Herold, Chief of Police, UCPD; Director Baker

Jeffrey Schlanger, Special Counselor to the NYPD Commissioner; Roberto Villasenor, Deputy Monitor, Exiger; Dr. Engel

Director Baker; Dr. Engel

Meeting date to be determined. Members will be notified once confirmed.

CAC Members

• Judge John West, Chair
• Eric Abercrumbie
• Doug Barge
• Peg Fox
• Bobby Hilton
• Jack Martin
• Charlene Ventura

UC Administration

• Gregory Baker
• Robin Engel
• Maris Herold
• Bleuzette Marshall

CAC Members Not in Attendance

• Branden Boseman
• Yasmin Chilton
• Kenneth Davis
• Mike Ealy
• Bashir Emlemdi
• Aaron Greenlea
• KZ Smith
• Ennis Tait
• Terri Theetge

Judge John West, Chairman and Dr. Robin S. Engel, VP for Safety & Reform

Judge West began the CAC meeting by initiating a discussion of the future of the CAC. Judge West has met with President Pinto to discuss some of his concerns, including the future role of the CAC as well as some of the larger systemic issues he perceives at UC. Rather than directly involve the CAC body in addressing these systemic issues, President Pinto would like to approach the systemic issues at UC through Dr. Marshall’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. She will be leading what was originally referred to by Judge West as “Phase II”.

Dr. Marshall’s first step will be to identify CAC members who are interested in furthering their involvement at UC. Dr. Marshall will meet with each interested member to gather their concerns. Through her various meetings, Dr. Marshall will identify the gaps necessary to address systemic issues within the university, some related to race as well as the larger spectrum of diversity. CAC members should directly contact Dr. Marshall if they wish to be part of this Phase II process, and then she will coordinate with those individuals. 

Regarding the future of the CAC, Judge West noted the CAC will remain intact but will revise their primary role. The CAC will meet quarterly rather than monthly, with a purpose to support the UCPD as needed and ensure that they are meeting the Exiger’s Final Report recommendations. The CAC will also form a group to review UCPD’s protocols regarding citizen complaints and uses of force, to provide an independent perspective.

Therefore, the next CAC meeting will occur in August. Dr. Engel is trying to coordinate the meeting based on when Exiger will be here to report to the Board of Trustees. They are on site August 16, so it will likely occur around that date. Dr. Engel and Judge West also state that the CAC will convene earlier if there is an emerging issue.

The discussion clarifies that Phase II is under Dr Marshall’s purview; but Dr. Engel envisions that the CAC will continue to guide UCPD as a stand-alone body. Additionally, some CAC members will also work with Dr. Marshall, and may potentially integrate with the work of the President’s Diversity Counsel. Dr. Marshall and Dr. Engel will continue to partner on initiatives as they have in the past.

The changes we have discussed are part of a larger strategic direction for UC, as opposed to a specific plan. UC’s new strategic direction is called Next Lives Here. Dr. Engel described President Pinto’s new vision for UC, including its website (see https://www.uc.edu/strategicdirection.html). There are three primary platforms: academic excellence, urban impact, and innovation agenda. Each has a number of pathways, which describe ways that UC plans to reach their vision.

Jeffrey Schlanger, Exiger

Chief Maris Herold; Director S. Gregory Baker

The UCPD has two newly hired officers who will graduate May 18th from the Cincinnati Police Training Academy. Next, they will engage in a 14-week Police Training program at UCPD.

The UCPD pushed back the start date of the new recruitment cycle to develop a more comprehensive recruiting plan and accommodate the creation of a recruitment video. The primary purpose of the video is to appeal and attract a diverse audience to apply. Its secondary purpose is as a police-community relations tool. The application process will open June 1, 2018 and run for about 30 to 60 days. The UCPD is striving for an applicant pool of about 200 people.

The hiring process is estimated to be complete in early December, when the job offers will be given. As discussed in previous CAC meetings, the full process is about 6 months. During this process, the UCPD will more directly prepare applicants for what they need to do to be successful in the selection process, including providing resources to excel in the physical/agility portion of the test. In addition, the home visit portion of the selection process has been eliminated to reduce potential bias.

Officer recruitment is facing challenges across the country. The UCPD leadership is taking a number of steps to increase their chances of acquiring a diverse applicant pool.

The new UCPD recruitment video was played during the meeting. CAC members commented that they enjoy the video. The UCPD also has a new recruitment brochure. Officers will be attending many events over the next couple of months to supplement recruiting efforts. The recruitment material will emphasize that while their work may be challenging, it is also very rewarding. Market research demonstrates this message helps to increase the likelihood of a diverse pool of applicants, compared to more typical law enforcement messages of civil service and duty.

Once finalized, the recruitment video will be posted on the website, and we will send a final version to CAC members, so that they can disseminate to their respective groups.

Jeffrey Schlanger, Exiger

Exiger Monitor, Jeff Schlanger, announced that he will be leaving Exiger and his position as the Monitor, as he is taking a new position as the Special Counselor to the NYPD Commissioner. He notes that much of what we have done here will be utilized to help move the NYPD forward.

Roberto Villasenor will be taking over as Monitor; he previously served as the Deputy Monitor. Denise Lewis from Exiger will serve as the new Deputy Monitor.

The Quarter Five Updates are as follows:

• Initial Assessment of 208 of the 276 (75%) Exiger Recommendations (“ERs”)
• Substantial Compliance: 188 of 276 (68%) ERs
• No Further Evaluation: 112 of 276 (41%) ERs
• Not yet evaluated: 57 ERs of 276 (21%) ERs
• Partial Compliance: 15 ERs
• Determination Withheld: 4 ERs
• Non-Compliant: 1 (No annual refresher “Implicit Bias” training ER 2.2.B)
• Total Assessments: 280 ERs (71 were assessed more than once) 
  

Director S. Gregory Baker

The Office of Safety and Reform will be holding a CAC breakfast meeting where we will invite the City Manager’s Advisory Group (MAG) on June 7, 2018. The formal invitation will be forthcoming to all CAC members.

The upcoming Peace Bowl youth football tournament will occur July 27 to July 29, 2018. This is the third Peace Bowl sponsored by UC Public Safety and Athletics. Over 1,000 kids should attend, and CAC members are encouraged to attend and show their support.

Judge John West

The next CAC meeting will be in August, but a date is not yet confirmed; CAC members will be contacted.

The long-term plan for oversight and compliance of the UCPD is still under consideration. The UCPD is planning to be assessed on every recommendation by the end of this year (Dec 31, 2018).

Dr. Abercrumbie acknowledged the excellent work of Director Baker, who works directly in the community. Dr. Abercrumbie concluded by thanking Dr. Engel, the person that people see as responsible for all of this work, as well as any issues with the UCPD. They are both in positions that may be difficult at times.

The next meeting will involve a discussion about the structure and role of the CAC in the future.